A New Start
by omega13a
Summary: The Battle of Hogwarts goes bad making Harry to choose differently when in the crossroads of life.
1. Teaser

**A New Start by omega13a**

**Story Notes:**

I got attacked by this plot bunny while I was waiting for my beta ams71080 to get back with me with chapter 7 of "Changeling". The story is sort of a mix of ideas I got from "The Moment It Began", "Meddle", and Mrs. Sniffy's stories.

Teaser by omega13a

"He looks so peaceful," Lily quietly commented to her husband Severus referring to her sleeping son Harry that was from her point of view was not quite a day old a couple hours after coming home from the hospital. "For someone who has the memories of an 18-year-old, he sure sleeps a lot..."

"Remember, he has the body of baby and needs all the rest he can get. And just because he has the memories he had when he was 18 doesn't mean he will behave like one. His brain is still wired like that of a new born. Not to mention from genetic stand point he's 1/3 James Potter's, 1/3 yours, and 1/3 mine. I don't know about you or James, but according to my mother, I slept almost all the time until my father decided that wasn't natural and sneaked either coffee or tea into my bottle of milk when she wasn't looking... I'm not sure when is he going to be able to comprehend the things I need to tell him," Severus replied.

"Exactly. And imagine hearing this world's completely different from the one he remembers. Not having face Voldemort until he's older, your friend Regulus is his godfather, and that his father in the old time line is in Azkaban, falsely accused of being a Death Eater and murdering 13 people the rat that framed him is not hiding where he was in the old time line. Not mention you accidentally kept my sister from marring that awful man..." Lily replied smiling. "I don't know what she ever saw in him."

"I don't know either... But I never expected her not only to start dating Sirius after our wedding, but marry him and be expecting her first child any day now... She always hated magic and for her to end up marrying a wizard seems so absurd," Severus sighed.

"Well, better Sirius than some person who isn't willing to let go of stupid prejudices and grudges making any chance encounters miserable... I'm very grateful that Sirius grew up during our 7th year and Dumbledore asked us to invite all the Order to our wedding," Lily chuckled.

"You're right Lily. Harry, I just hope I haven't changed things to the point where what ever you know about how to defeat the Dark Lord useless," Severus said to Harry, who was sound asleep in his crib.

**Chapter End Notes:**

Normally I would have called this the prologue but its too much like the teasers for some Star Trek episodes.

Anyways, reviews please!


	2. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1**

It was August 2nd, 1985. It had been a nice sunny day for Harry. It seemed so long ago, yet he remembered perfectly once he had finished viewing the memories that a dying Severus Snape gave him back in the spring of 1998. It was this that prompted him to go into the Forbidden Forest to sacrifice himself so Voldemort would be able to die. He saw Voldemort cast the killing curse at him and soon he was at the crossroads of life. After a chat with Dumbledore, who was there waiting for him, Harry was left unsure if he wanted to go back when given the choice.

During the battle he saw Remus, Tonks, most of the Weasleys, Hermione, Hagrid, not mention several other people he knew get killed or lying on the ground, dead. He spent ten years of his life feeling he was worthless and thinking that no one cared about him. After learning he was a wizard, for the first time he had friends. Now nearly all his friends were dead.

He weighed the pros and cons of going back to the living. If went back and killed Voldemort, he would be surrounded by Death Eaters wanting revenge and would probably die a most painful death since he wouldn't have any anchors left. If he went to go join those who have already died, Neville knew what to do and Voldemort would still die. Ultimately, Harry decided to go join the dead, leaving Dumbledore looking a little disappointed.

As he and Dumbledore boarded the "train," Harry suddenly felt someone grab him and before he knew it he was once again in the white nothingness, this time with none other then his former Potions and 6th year Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher...

"POTTER! I DIDN'T RISK LIFE AND LIMB ONLY FOR YOU TO DIE LIKE SOME SACRIFICIAL LAMB!" Snape ranted.

"What is there for me to go back to? Nothing but death and suffering!" Harry shouted back. "Just about everyone I know is dead!"

"I lost the only person I ever considered a friend but I lived on because I knew she wanted me to. There were times during that first year after your mother died that I couldn't bear with being the reason she was dead. More than once that meddlesome old codger had Poppy put me on suicide watch that year. If I could live with what I did, you can live on and find some purpose!" Snape shouted back.

"If Voldemort's henchmen don't kill me first! And even then, what is there for me to do? Hide from people who want my autograph, shake my hand, want to see my scar, and ask me questions? I don't want that! I just want peace and quiet and for people to see me for being me and not some superhero! I have nobody except Ginny and maybe Neville that see me that way!" Harry yelled.

"What about your relatives? I know for a fact they aren't dead." Snape replied trying to get Harry to see reason.

"For sixteen years they hated me and I would jump at every opportunity to get away from them! Contrary to what most people think, I never wanted the kind of life I had! Living ten years like a house elf, being called freak and worthless, not to mention being locked up in a cupboard every night and every time I did magic, not knowing the truth and _then_ I find out I'm famous for something I hardly even remember! Then I had to decide who are my real friends and people who only like my fame! Not to mention people going around saying untrue things about me!" Harry shouted back, just wanting to get it over with and die. "Now just let me die in peace!"

Harry tried to run but Snape grabbed him again and looked at him.

"As much as I currently don't want to do this, I'm afraid I have no choice." Snape complained before punching Harry. Harry then found himself laying on the floor of the white nothingness looking up with a slight headache. He tried to get up but found himself stuck and unable to move as if someone put the full body bind hex on him. Much to his annoyance, Snape was in his field of view.

"Alright. While you were unconscious, I've managed to negotiate with the Fates for us to go back in time and create yet another alternate timeline. The timeline we knew will continue to exist and everyone in it will go about their lives and hopefully Longbottom will be able to do the thing you are supposed to do before even more people die. I will arrive in the new timeline earlier then you, at a time before you were born. I promise that I will make sure the Dark Lord will not leave you an orphan in the new timeline. I will _not_, however, kill the Dark Lord since that is your duty. You will make the most of being a child again. You will follow my lead and I will you assist in defeating the Dark Lord while raising as few suspicions as possible. The Fates hinted that we may not be the only ones going into this new reality. I do not know who may join us but as long as it isn't Dumbledore, the Dark Lord, or a Death Eater, I'm fine with it." Snape explained, a lot calmer then he was earlier. With that, Harry found himself in a dark, warm place that felt very comfortable.

Harry didn't want to leave where he was but at least he learned why almost every baby he saw on television was born screaming. First they pushed and squeezed out of a nice warm and cozy place and brought into a world that is freezing cold in comparison. It took him a few minutes to realize he was being born again. At first he thought it was punishment for kicking too often to see if his parents were still there. It didn't really surprise him to find out that Snape had gone back to before he was even conceived and married his mum.

Harry continued to look back at the past five years. He was disappointed he wouldn't get to know his original father, James Potter, as well as he had hoped. He was outraged to find out James had taken Sirius' place in the new timeline but understood it was something that couldn't be helped as Pettigrew is no where to be found. He was happy that Sirius was his uncle and not Vernon. He did find it odd though that he still had a cousin that was his age named Dudley but at least Dudley Black wasn't a spoiled brat/bully like Dudley Dursley was. Harry figured that it was because Sirius wanted to keep peace in the family. After all, both of Harry's mother's parents didn't get killed by Death Eaters this time around.

Harry felt grateful that Snape stopped him from moving on to the next great adventure. Snape eventually became Severus (though Harry never said it out loud to avoid suspicion) and eventually Dad. He also had a younger brother named Evan and two twin sisters named Rose and Violet.

It was a dream come true to have a family that loved him. Not only did his extended family (Sirius, Petunia, his two cousins, his mother's parents, and his dad's mother) live in the same town and within walking distance of each other, but he was able to make _real_ friends. To his surprise, Justin Finch-Fletchley lived nearby as well. Harry, Dudley, and Justin formed what Sirius jokingly referred to, much to Severus' annoyance, as: "The Marauders: The Next Generation".

It was now evening and Harry getting ready for bed when he heard a knock on the door.

"Come in." Harry answered. It was his Dad.

"Harry, I wanted to wait until everyone was asleep rather than tell you during dinner. I didn't want to risk Evan repeating anything to anyone. I don't know how much of your other father's family you know of but have you heard of Charlus Potter?" Severus asked.

"I think I saw his name on the Black family tree because he married some one in the Black family but that's about it. How is he related to me?" Harry asked, curious.

"He's your grandfather."

Harry was stunned, but stayed silent while Severus continued.

"Anyway... Harry, he suspected something. He was an Unspeakable and his field of research was time travel and alternate realities. His research occasionally had him work with people studying prophecies and other forms of divination. He learned of the prophecy and came to the conclusion that someone allowed me to live a different life that resulted in you being a Snape rather than a Potter," Snape explained.

"... Huh?" Harry asked confused.

"Don't ask me how he figured out that I'm the one that the changes started with but he said--correctly--that you are the prophesied person who will defeat the Dark Lord. He also knows that one-third of your genes come from your other father and, because James is in Azkaban, Charlus has left everything of his to you."

"What? Why?" Harry still confused as to how Charlus Potter figured it out.

"He died yesterday morning in a freak accident that another Unspeakable caused. He figured all this out years ago but kept it secret. He left instructions to deliver a letter explaining everything to us when he died if the Prophecy hadn't been fulfilled."

"Did he say if he told anyone else?" Harry asked, hoping to keep the time travel as much of a secret as possible.

"He said he did talk about history being altered with a certain Headmaster but said he didn't give Dumbledore any specifics other stating it will affect the war against the Dark Lord," Severus replied, sighing.

"Does this mean you will have to teach me Occlumency?" Harry asked, not looking forward to a yes answer.

"Five years old is far too young for any mind magic, even if your soul is technically 23 years old. The damage to your brain from me testing your barriers, should they not be adequate, would leave you much like how the Longbottoms were after the LeStranges and Crouch were through with them in the old timeline. It should be safe to start teaching you when you are ten," Severus replied, much to Harry's relief. "Now I'll let you get some sleep and relax. Learning to relax is key to emptying your mind."

With that Severus left the room and Harry got into bed. Harry soon drifted off to sleep and started dreaming about being in some woods. It wasn't a dark and creepy wood like the Forbidden Forest, but very peaceful with rays of light shining through the tree taps making a mess of the sunshine on the ground. Harry couldn't help but feel happy. So happy, he decided to climb a tree and see how high up he can get. Almost like magic, a tree that looked perfect for climbing appeared in front of him and Harry started climbing. He got up to about three or four meters off the ground and decided to rest where one of the branches connected to the trunk.

He was sitting up in the tree for a few moments when he realized he wasn't alone in this forest. There were footsteps from something approaching him. Harry wished that some leaves would hide him but still allow him to see what it is that is in this forest. Suddenly the branch he was on grew some smaller branches with a bunch of leaves on them. As quietly as possible, he waited to see who it was. It was a little red-haired girl that looked strangely familiar to him in a white sundress and she spotted him.

**Chapter End Notes:**

There's chapter 1. I hope I don't get you too confused with this chapter.

Anyways, reviews please!


	3. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2 **

Ginny Weasley was confused. One moment she's taking care of the wounded out on the school ground during the "cease fire" and next, she's clueless as to where she was. She concluded that some Death Eater had broken the cease fire and she had died and gone to a strange version of hell that was rather enjoyable. In what seemed like forever, she eventually found herself being pushed out of wherever she was only to find her self in St. Mungo's with some healers and her parents that looked younger than she remembered prompting Ginny to come to the conclusion she was given another chance. However, things weren't the same as far as she could tell.

First of all, Percy never got Scabbers. She remembered her mother saying they found Scabbers two days after Voldemort's disappearance. However, not only wasn't there any excitement on the Halloween in 1981, but Scabbers never showed up. It got even stranger when her father never read to her about "The Boy-Who-Lived". It was as if Voldemort never existed...

When she thought it couldn't get any stranger, she discovered when she was almost 4 and playing in the garden in early July she was a parslemouth when she got too close to a snake that was hiding there. After the whole Chamber of Secrets incident, she conjured a snake to see if she was a parslemouth to be sure nothing of Voldemort was left inside of her. To her relief, she wasn't a parslemouth then but for some odd reason, she was one now. Unfortunately her mother and some of her brothers saw her talk to the snake. That evening her parents had a family meeting about it and her parents tried to reassure her brothers that she wasn't evil because she could speak to snakes but Fred, George, and Ron were unconvinced and kept bugging her about it, no matter how many times she "accidentally" cast the bat boogey hex on them which only got her parents concerned about her being able to cast that spell.

Her parents, getting concerned about this power she had at such a young age decided to consult with Dumbledore after the healers said they never heard of anything like it. Ginny overheard her parents talk to Dumbledore and barely heard him mention a Charlus Potter who had recently died and being curious of how the Potter Estate will be distributed. That Charlus Potter was apparently James Potter's father. From what she knew James Potter was Harry's father. What came as a shocker was that James Potter was in Azkaban for being a Death Eater. If there were Death Eaters, Ginny concluded there must have been a Voldemort. So see decided to sneak to the Hogwarts' library via the Floo Network at night when everyone was and look up recent history.

It was a hard thing to do being so small but she managed to think like an adult long enough to reason out how to get the information she needed. What she found in various issues of the Daily Prophet upset her. James Potter was arrested on 28th August 1979 meaning James never slept with Harry's mother to make Harry, at least the Harry she grew up hearing about. Further research showed Voldemort had been attacked by a Lethfold on Christmas Day in 1979 and some how that was turned into a wraith that was spotted fleeing the seen. 1979 was two years before Snape had switched sides in the war as far as she could remember. Snape was still believed to be a Death Eater in 1979 if she recalled yet her older brothers in this "new universe" as she called it talked about a Professor Snape being strict in class. Looking up in the newspaper showed that Snape was never a Death Eater. If anything, she found out that he became the youngest Potions Master ever and was married to a woman Ginny new was Harry's mother.

"This is getting weirder and weirder..." Ginny muttered when she realized it had been rather foolish of her to sneak out of the house at night. If her parents went to her room and saw she wasn't there, they would panic big time. She quickly went back home and drifted off to sleep worrying herself half sick that if Harry didn't exist, some of her other close friends might not exist as well.

Soon she was dreaming of walking around in a nice forest like the woods near The Burrow. Even though the forest was nice, she still felt depressed about what she had learned. She soon found an odd looking tree that had a bunch of leaves that were unusually closer to the ground than the other trees in the area. Looking closely, she could see a boy hiding behind the leaves.

It was hard to make out the person's features, but she could tell it was a boy. The leaves that the boy was hidden behind disappeared and the boy jumped down. She wanted to say hi to the boy but for some reason she couldn't. It was as if someone had placed a jinx on her. Even more strangely, not being able to talk didn't seam to bother her at all.

The boy couldn't have been much older then she physically was. He had dark black hair that a little messy but not a hopeless rats nest like Harry's hair. His eyes were green and almond shaped like Harry's. His smile was like Harry's. However, his nose was like a smaller version of Snape's. His cheeks and ears sort-of looked like Snape's but at the same time sort-of looked like Harry's. Ginny didn't know who this boy was other then seeing him made her feel happy.

She wondered why she was comparing him to Harry and Snape but something told her this boy was named Harry. How she knew, she didn't know. All that seemed import to her was to enjoy the time spent with him. Unfortunately she woke up before they could play some game or do something together and saw something that made her scream.

* * *

Ginny was trying to eat her breakfast but Fred and George where getting on her nerves. They had caught a bunch of lizards, and a snake and set them loose in her bedroom. If fact, they were still in the room when she woke up.

"So Ginny, who's Harry?" Fred asked mocking.

"Is he your snake friend?" George asked mocking.

"Boys! That's enough!" Ginny's father Arthur scolded. "Leave your sister alone or instead of being grounded for a moth, you'll be grounded for a year! I'm getting tired of you harassing your sister about being able to talk to snakes!"

Ginny was shocked. Her father rarely got angry. She only remembered him getting angry once before in the old timeline and that was when Fred and George tried to trick Ron into making an unbreakable vow to more or less be their slave.

"But dad, she kept on saying 'Harry... Harry...', " Fred said mocking Ginny.

"You two talk in your sleep as well. Last week I went into your room while you to where still asleep to get your dirty laundry and the two of you were muttering about wanting pink elephants and to ride bunny rabbits. So don't go teasing your sister about talking her sleep." Ginny's mother Molly scolded.

Ginny doubted that would stop them from teasing her. She loved her older brothers except for maybe Percy. At least the ones she had before but the youngest three in this universe or timeline or what ever were driving her crazy. 'I've died and gone to hell...' Ginny accepted.

* * *

A little more then two years later, Ginny was having another of her 'dreams' about Harry. She had been having them every night since before her 4th birthday in this hell as she called it. In this one she and Harry were playing gobblestones in what she believed was a muggle playground. It had a set of swings and slide in a large sandbox. Her and Harry were on an area of asphalt next to the sandbox. There was near by field and beyond that was a forest.

The game was going smoothly except for when one of them lost one of their gobblestones and got sprayed with a smelly slime.

"That's the fifth one I lost... I don't know what's gotten into me. I used to be able to beat my brothers..." Ginny sighed after being sprayed.

"Maybe you are just having a bad day or night. I'm confused what this place should be called..." Harry replied.

"Wait a second!" Ginny realized. "We can talk to each other!"

"Finally!" Harry yelled happily.

"Yes," Ginny replied thinking of a way to find out if Harry is the boy's name. "It was getting rather dull not being able to say anything to each other. Anyways, I know this may sound dumb, but what is your name? I think I know but I want to know for sure."

"Harry Snape." Harry replied. "What's yours?"

Ginny had a feeling Harry knew the answer by the way he asked.

"Ginny Weasley."

"So, Ginny, were you worried sick about me not existing or something?" Harry asked.

"What? How did you know? And that wasn't even about you. It was another boy named Harry Potter," Ginny replied, shocked that Harry Snape knew about her feelings about Harry Potter.

"I talked about these 'dreams' to dad and he said we have a soul bond and you must have discovered some of the changes he made and got upset I didn't exist or something."

"What?" Ginny asked really confused.

"It's a little hard to explain but you are from the future, aren't you? Well, at least a future that doesn't exist for us anymore..." Harry tried to answer. Ginny started to realize what was going on but allowed Harry to continue after nodding in response to his question.

"I followed my dad to The Shrieking Shack and saw Voldemort ordering Nagini to kill my dad. Dad didn't die right away but stayed alive long enough to give me a bunch of memories of things I needed to know. How should I continue this? Did Ron or Hermione explain anything about horcruxes to you when I wasn't around?"

"Yes. They were things that have part of a soul inside of them. That diary Malfoy gave me was one if I remember..." Ginny replied, curious as to why Harry was referring to Snape as his dad.

"Well, I went into the headmaster's office and used Dumbledore's pensieve to view the memories dad gave me. I learned from them that my mum and dad were friends but in the original timeline, my dad called my mum a mudblood and they stopped being friends and he ended up joining the Death Eaters."

"I'm assuming you say dad you mean Snape..." Ginny commented.

"Well, I've kind of got used to calling him dad... Anyways, he found out Voldemort wanted to kill me because of that prophecy and realized that my mum would most likely be killed as well. Even though they weren't friends anymore, he still loved her and went to go warn Dumbledore about what Voldemort was going to do."

"So that's why Dumbledore trusted him so much. He was willing to risk his life to save a muggle born even though he was a Death Eater." Ginny said to herself out loud.

"Yes. He agreed to spy and look out for me. He hated me because I reminded him of that he pushed my mother away from him by calling her a mudblood but he still looked out for me. Anyways, dad killed Dumbledore for a few reasons. One was Dumbledore was dying from a painful curse he received from handling one of Voldemort's horcruxes before destroying it. Another was Voldemort wanted Draco Malfoy to kill him but Dumbledore didn't want Malfoy to tarnish his soul and asked Snape to do it instead. The last reason was because dad's loyalty was being questioned by the real Death Eaters and dad needed to stay alive to help the light side in whatever way he could and deliver a message Dumbledore wanted to give me when the time was right. That message was that Voldemort accidentally made me one of his horcruxes."

"WHAT!? Is that why you went out into the forest during that cease fire? To get yourself killed so Voldemort would die?" Ginny asked. This was getting too bizarre for her.

"Yes. I let Voldemort cast the killing curse on me but when it only killed the piece of Voldemort inside of me and I had a choice to either die or return back to my body because Voldemort used some of my blood to return to his body. Dumbledore was there explaining things to me. You remember how the battle was going? Well, I didn't exactly like the idea of, well, going back and getting killed after Voldemort was dead by one of his Death Eaters..." Harry continued to explain before Ginny interrupted him.

"So you chose to die." Ginny finished.

"Yes. Apparently dad wasn't happy about my choice saying he didn't risk everything only for me to choose to die when I could live and ended up dragging me into this alternate reality he made after negotiating with the Fates. He arrived shortly before he called my mum a mudblood. We arrived around the time we were conceived in the old timeline."

"So that's why thing were different then I remember hearing about... Snape changed history. But why take you back?" Ginny asked wondering.

"I told him about my aunt and uncle and that if something happened to you, I would have had nothing if I did manage to survive the battle..." Harry said embarrassed. "He wanted me to have a better life and that's why he changed history. The soul bond was something we already had but we wouldn't have discovered we had one until we were like 30 unless one of us got worried sick about the other forcing the bond to get stronger quicker."

"You hated living with your aunt and uncle? If what Fred, George, and Ron said was true, I don't blame you... Speaking of which, Fred, George, and Ron don't have the same kind of relationship with me we had this time around ever since my family and I discovered I'm a parslemouth. At first they were giving me a really hard time about it. Now, they just pretend I don't exist. Fred and George don't even prank me like they used to do. Why would I be a parslemouth this time around?" Ginny asked.

"Its because of the bond. We're sort-of sharing magic. Any magical abilities one of us has, the other will have as well. Dad doesn't know how that would affect us getting wands or when we get our letters to go to Hogwarts... He said normally soul bonds don't get as strong as this until the bonded couple are already adults," Harry explained before pausing for a second.

"As for me being a parslemouth, dad found a book on horcruxes looking to see if there was a way to use one to find out what Voldemort was doing using one of them and found some spells that allowed for him and I to become parslemouths and be able to spy on Voldemort by thinking about what he is doing. It's really complicated and he only told me yesterday because he wasn't sure if I would understand it. You and I may remember being older but our brains are like those that a kid has and we can't keep thinking like how we used to for long. That's why sometimes things that little kids normally do seem boring and other times seem fun," Harry finished.

"I noticed that too... Anyways, I know this may sound like another dumb question but do you like Snape even though he was the greasy haired git of the dungeons?" Ginny asked.

"Yes. He's my dad this time around. He's not perfect but who isn't? He tries to be fair and the chores I have to do are more like what other kids have to do. I don't remember what my first dad was like and my uncle was hardly a father to me. He was more like a big bully. I hope you don't take this the wrong way but your dad was only my friends' dad to me though I did sort-of think of your mother as my mum. Sirius did feel like a father but because he was a wanted criminal, I couldn't be with him except for that one month and the winter holidays that one year and well, LeStrange killed him..." Harry trailed off.

"But still, Harry, Snape was so... Mean to you. According to Ron, it seamed like every class he would find something to criticize you for even if it wasn't true." Ginny replied.

"People change," Harry replied like it was no big deal. "Are you the same person you were when we first met in the old timeline?"

"I hope not... I must have seemed like an obsessed Harry Potter fan girl. Trying to get mum to allow me to go on the train and stare at you like a zoo animal." Ginny laughed. "But I get you point."

"It was funny. Not as funny as when I spent half the summer at your house before you started your first year. I still remember the look on your face when you realized you put your elbow in the butter dish for the second time." Harry replied chucking.

Ginny was going to say something but she woke up to her mother yelling at Fred and George for setting off a dung bomb in the kitchen and Charlie for buying it for them.

"Why must I wake up when I don't want to..." Ginny muttered.

**Chapter End Notes:**

There's chapter 2. I know. I have other stories I'm working on and updates are slow but I get attacked by plot bunnies when ever I can't get a new chapter for one of my other out soon enough or the authors of stories I beta for don't give enough to do... I should have a chapter for one of my other stories out soon. At least as soon as I can straighting things out with my website... My website is giving me headaches... Don't bother offering to help me with my website so I can get a chapter of one of my stories out unless you are familiar with Linux, Apache, and PHP.

Also, when reading this chapter, remember, kids can be cruel. I know from first hand expirence (I was on the receiving end of bullies who didn't like me because I was different).

Anyways, reviews!


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